Pawns
by LOrenz0
Summary: Several months after the Institute of War shut down, the world is at the brink of war once again. A simple scouting mission to Ionia sets the chain of events in motion and Katarina is caught in the middle of it all. Every actor has their own motives and the identities of King and Jester are skewed. In the midst of these wicked games, who is really playing who? [Ahri/Katarina]
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This story has actually been in the making for a long time. I had the outline of this story drawn out way back in 2013 when I first made my fanfiction account and the blueprint for Wicked Games predates even Unexpected Travelers! To the OG fam, we really came far!**

 **This piece is strongly inspired by the fanfic "Ahri x Katarina" by TheModernWriter which when I read back in 2013 (yeah I know it's a smut... still enjoyed it though) felt like it had real storyline potential.**

 **On another note, Ahri and Katarina have actually been my OTP for the longest time lol. They both have strong personalities, but possess very compatible characteristics (plus they're hot together lmao). I also feel as though a relationship between these two would be an interesting thing to explore lore-wise. Why? Picture this.**

 **If Garen and Katarina are in a relationship, peace will eventually blossom for both Noxus and Demacia.**

 **If Ahri and Katarina are in a relationship, only distrust and conflict will develop.**

* * *

 **I.**

A shadowed figure dashed through the sea of trees with the silence of a ghost. The dead of the night masked her every footstep as it hopped from tree to tree. No footprints. No traces. Years of training had taught her to blend into the deep darkness and mimic the quietness of phantoms.

The only evidence that she was ever there was the near silent rustle of the trees as she skillfully maneuvered high above the treetops with grace. A brief reprise from the many branches finally allowed the moonlight to catch a glimpse of the master assassin.

Katarina Du Couteau. _The Sinister Blade_.

Months ago, the Institute of War was suspended indefinitely as the vast majority of Summoners had returned to their home dimensions. Without the all-powerful Summoners acting as peacekeepers. Valoran morphed into a land rife with terror. While fighting has yet to erupt, the lack of an overarching power to hold either Noxus, or the Shadow Isles down put everyone on edge. Minor states such as Bandle City had already started re-arming itself in fear, but they themselves weren't the only ones concerned.

And now we return to the subject of Katarina. She was sent on a scouting mission to collect information on the nation of Ionia. To Noxus, Ionia was… difficult to discern. Yes, the two nations had their fair share of wars, and one could very much argue that Katarina's scouting missions would help develop strategies if Ionia ever entered battle with Noxus again. But that was only one half of the story.

Ionia can be described as very isolationist, that is they don't concern themselves with the rest of the world. An attack on the homeland would rally all Ionians to battle, but elsewhere? One could even make a betting guess that Ionia wouldn't interfere at the brink of a country's collapse.

But Noxus wasn't taking any chances. There were too many powerful inhabitants despite its peaceful nature and a countering plan needed to be conceived at the very least.

It had been several hours now since Katarina first stepped into Ionia. Talon was scouting the countryside while she herself was charged with the Vastayan Forests. But as Katarina continued to navigate through the thick forest trees, she couldn't help but feel as she was being followed. Something was definitely off…

On her next hop she dropped from the branch and swung herself up in the air. Landing with a simple thud, she stood up straight.

"Whoever you are, show yourself," she called out, her daggers already unsheathed. "Don't be a coward."

A feminine giggle chimed through the night sky. "My, oh, my… what gave away my presence?"

Katarina recognized that voice, especially one of a fellow champion. "Your scent. Especially with the downwind coming, you could do a better job masking yourself."

"Are you saying I smell nice?" The voice giggled again before the rustle of leaves caught Katarina's attention and Ahri's form fell from the treetops to the branch opposite of her.

Katarina was caught a bit off guard by the fox's sudden appearance. She always held a natural beauty that captivated men and women alike. Those piercing golden eyes of hers and the wry smile she held only made Katarina narrow her eyes.

"Ahri," Katarina half stated, half growled, in which the fox happily wagged all nine tails in response.

"Awww, did you miss me Katarina? I mean the Institute only closed a few months ago, but still…"

"Now what makes you think I would do that?" Katarina said as she brandished her daggers towards Ahri.

"Why come to Ionia then?" Ahri fired back. "I doubt people come sightseeing in the middle of the night, least of all Noxian assassins."

"That is none of your business." Katarina was slowly losing her edge as Ahri prodded deeper and deeper. She would eventually discover her purpose in the secluded nation if Katarina didn't shoot back with force.

But that was a difficult thing to do. Not many champions in the League could match Katarina in both sheer confidence and in cunning. A few came close, but they were often lacking one or the other.

Katarina only scoffed when Ahri's smile grew wider as she merely sat down nonchalantly on the tree she was standing on.

 _Ahri was one of the few exceptions capable of both_.

"Oh really?" Ahri peered. "Because the way I see it, Noxus sent their little assassin to Ionia because Swain fears our power, is that it?"

Katarina went on the offensive again. "Think carefully before you speak another word. I will not have the Noxian honour insulted," she spat.

"Hit the nail on the head, huh honey?" Ahri spoke... and merely tilted her head to the side as a dagger whirled by her face. Ahri plucked the dagger out of the bark beside her as she examined it with a chuckle. "Because I think _this_ …" she said as her fingers danced upon its razor edge, "is a metaphor for your jaded, insecure persona..."

That did it. Immediately, Katarina unlatched another dagger from her belt and charged at Ahri, intent on covering the fox woman entirely with puncture wounds.

Ahri merely held her hands out wide and fell backwards down the tree tops, all while the chime of her laugh echoed through the wind.

Katarina growled and quickly proceeded to dive after her.

* * *

Katarina landed with a soft thud, soundless after years of perfecting her craft. Her eyes scanned across the field, but the night made it difficult to track the fox. Instead, she had to rely on her other senses.

The faint rustle of leaves drew her attention to the left.

" _There!"_

She had just enough time to duck before a dagger whirled by her face from the same direction turned towards and trimming a few strands of her hair as she recovered. It was the same dagger she launched earlier.

"You're pretty fun to play with, Katarina," Ahri said as she emerged from the trees. "A little feisty, but still…"

"I can't have anyone discover my presence in Ionia," Katarina said calmly for the first time in their meeting. "So unfortunately for you, I need to put a fox to sleep. Permanently."

"And quite edgy too," Ahri said as she stretched herself out before entering into a stance. "But I'll take you on. Come."

Katarina was about to charge again, but to her surprise Ahri in every sense of the word _materialized_ in front of her. An arm was raised to lessen the blow, but Ahri's roundhouse kick rammed into her with the force of the Noxian army. She was sent skidding backwards several feet and her arm went completely numb.

"I don't think you can handle me just yet, kitty cat," Ahri chuckled. "We're not in the Institute anymore and that means there's nothing left to suppress our powers."

Katarina grit her teeth. Ahri was right. In the Institute of War, she was empowered through Summoner magic and granted her infamous blinking technique, the S _hunpo_. Only her sister, Cassiopeia and her foster brother, Talon truly had access to magic. Cassiopeia gained her abilities through her Serpentine Curse, while Talon was born with his invisibility powers.

Herself? Outside of the League, she was heavily handicapped, especially when facing a mage such as the one smirking directly across from her.

"Hello? Earth to Katarinaaa. Anybody there? Cat got your tongue?... Or is it fox got your tongue in this case?" Ahri began to ramble. She momentarily forgot about Katarina as she mumbled to herself over this dilemma.

Katarina on the other hand saw this as the perfect opportunity to strike. The League may have provided her with magic, however her quickness was natural.

"Or maybe it is the fox who got the cat who- oh!" Ahri reacted in surprise as she narrowly crouched under the dagger from Katarina's outstretched arm. Katarina quickly launched into a flurry of thrusts, jabs, and kicks all which Ahri danced around with ease.

"Wymun Ku?" Ahri asked as she continued to maneuver in between strikes. "A lightning-quick knife fighting style designed for one-handed use. A knife fighting staple actually. It's weakness? There are too many openings to attack the joints."

Immediately, a sharp pain wracked Katarina's arm as Ahri caught an incoming slash with one hand and struck her wrist, then her elbow in rapid succession. All feeling was lost in her right arm, rendering both appendages completely useless as they hung loosely off her shoulders.

"How… how did you know the weaknesses of a Noxian knife fighting style?" Katarina asked in disbelief, now at the complete mercy of the fox.

"Oh that? I invented it," she stated as if it were the most uninteresting thing in the world. "Patent pending," she tacked on with a smirk.

Katarina's eyes widened. "You're the fabled wandering fox master?... But that was centuries ago..."

"A woman should never reveal her age, but I like you Katarina," Ahri chuckled. "As of… 2 months ago, I am 923 years old. Quite a bit you can pick up after nearly a millennium of living..."

Katarina was speechless.

Ahri made a mock of checking her empty wrist and her piercing yellow eyes returned to Katarina with a smile."Let's wrap this up quick. I gotta go soon..."

Step by step, Ahri slowly closed the distance between Katarina and herself, while the Noxian could do nothing but await her impending doom.

But utter shock washed all over her as two fingers tilted her chin upwards and a soft pair of lips pecked her on the forehead.

Before Katarina could even react, Ahri spoke up.

"It's been a fun little charade, kitty cat, but I want to remind you that you're nothing but a pawn in this grand game of chess," Ahri said as she suddenly began floating in the air. "Play time's over."

Ahri's form glowed a bright blue as her tails flared behind her and in the very literal sense. Katarina watched in horror as the forest branches came to life and swallowed her whole within them.

* * *

"Kat! Kat!" The voice grew in volume as she groggily regained consciousness. "Kat! Are you alright?" came Talon's voice.

"Huh? What happened?" Katarina asked as she awoke. Upon glancing at the destruction around her, she instantly remembered the enemy she fought. She quickly attempted to get up, but Talon rested his hand on her shoulder, dissuading her.

"Don't worry about the fox. I've chased her off."

Katarina's mind was still spinning from their encounter. It wasn't the battle itself that shook her, but rather Ahri's words.

" _You're nothing but a pawn in this grand game of chess_."

Katarina thought back to the mission brief prior to leaving for Ionia and the strangeness of the whole ordeal. Swain, Darius, Leblanc… they all acted… unnatural… as if there was more to her mission than simply gathering information.

"Talon." Her foster brother's ears perked up. "Let's head back to Noxus."

Talon nodded and donned his hood. Propping Katarina's arm across his shoulder, he bounded off into the dead of the night.

But high above them, another being watched the two leave with great interest.

"Quite an interesting woman… Naive, but a welcome participant in these wicked games. I sure hope Ahri knows what she's doing…" the swordsman said before he too disappeared in the wind.

* * *

 **A/N: With this story fully online, that means I'll be working on at least 4 others concurrently. This is just a reminder that if updates are slow, I am not dead nor am I dying lol.**

 **Cover photo deadass the first image you find when you google "Ahri and Katarina."**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: All of my stories, at some point shift from a light-hearted humorous feel-good adventure to a noticeably darker, more somber, and lurid narrative. It's like going from Clifford the Big Red Dog to Stephen King after like 6 chapters.**

 **In this story particularly, I plan to make the transition in this very chapter. Don't worry homies, it will be as smooth as sliding into a hot girl's DMs, but you know, without the rejection part.**

 **P.s. I changed the title from "Wicked Games" to "Pawns" because it better encapsulated where I wanted to take this story. Plus, I was really craving some curry when I did so.**

* * *

 **II.**

A _few weeks earlier…_

"Alright, this better be important..." Ahri said, clearly annoyed and her ears drooped to emphasize her point. "Otherwise, why else would we have assembled the brain trust in the middle of the woods?" Ahri said as she took a seat on a tree stump alongside the others.

Master Yi ignored her off-handed comment and simply continued speaking to the others. "And so without the Institute's continued protection, we have no choice but to re-militarize for the safety of our fellow Ionian citizens."

"Thank you for your suggestion, Master Yi," Irelia said. "I will surely bring this to the Enlightened One's attention."

Yasuo merely grunted in acknowledgement. "The 7 of us can easily stand up to whatever armies the world has prepared, whether they be Noxus or the Shadow Isles. I don't think we need to frighten the villagers with the prospects of another Rune War." His eyes lazily glanced up at Ahri.

"8 if she's interested."

"Hmph," Ahri responded, standing up as she did. "You could just have notified me in advance if all we were doing was planning for the apocalypse. I could have easily sent my response by email."

"Not so fast, Ahri," Varus' voice spoke up, preventing her from leaving. "You might want to stick around for this next part. It involves you."

Ahri stopped in her tracks and threw a sly smile at the others. "Well then, I suppose I can't leave now, can I?"

"We found the 'Compatible Half,' " spoke Shen.

Ahri's demeanor shifted instantly from disdain to one of shock.

"What?... Did you actu-"

"Yes," interuppted Lee Sin. "The key to your humanity, Ahri. We have finally determined its location and the host."

Wukong remained completely silent as Ahri returned closer to the group as they all explained to her what they knew.

* * *

 _Present Day…_

"What?"

It was a mere question, but the tone behind it dripped with displeasure. Whenever Swain spoke in such a manner, he ironically expected an answer, but also complete silence as well.

Katarina chose to press on anyways. "Our presence was discovered during our mission in Ionia. We escaped, but they are now aware of possible Noxian influence within their lands."

"How could some of our best assassins fuck up something as simple as scouting mission..." Swain mumbled to himself as he turned away from the pair. "Dismissed."

Katarina and Talon caught Darius' low chuckle all while Draven mockingly saluted them as the Du Couteau siblings exited Swain's office.

"That went better than expected," Talon said. When he noticed his sister didn't respond, he sighed. The mission must of weighed more heavily on her mind than he originally thought.

Unknown to her brother, the unsuccessful Ionian operation only took up a fraction of her thoughts.

"... Let's get you home."

The Du Couteau Manor rested only a few miles beneath the Immortal Bastion Centre Tower where the Noxian High Command was based. In the wealthiest neighbourhood of Noxus, the sheer size of their household was matched by none, overwhelming the others save for the ominous black castle of Vladimir. Inside, maids and butlers bustled about catering to the needs of Cassiopeia and her guests. As a well-known socialite within the upper communities of Noxus, their snake-bodied sister was known for the soirees she held often.

"Ah! Kat! Talon! My wonderful family is finally home from their successful mission!" Cassiopeia called out as she slithered through a plethora of guests to Katarina and Talon's feet. "Awwww… My Kitty Kat's scowling more than usual!"

When she didn't receive the usual death threat from her sister at the use of the nickname, it was Cassiopeia's turn to scowl.

"Enough," she called out, catching the attention of all patrons. "I tire of your company. Windsworth, please escort all our guests off the premises."

The Du Couteau head butler did as he was asked and herded the confused Noxians towards the iron gate of their household.

"Come, Katarina," Cassiopeia said, beckoning her siblings to the family lounge. "Let's talk about it."

* * *

"And that sums up the mission…" Talon finished. Cassiopeia listened intently to their story and uncharacteristic of her, refused to interrupt as she usually did.

"Ahri said that there were games being played right beneath our noses, as if there's something more going within the underworld of Valoran," Katarina continued slowly. "You're well-connected, Cass. Do you know anything about what she said?"

Cassiopeia remained silent for nearly a minute before she responded cryptically.

"When wicked games are at play, everyone has their own motives. You are the leader of our household and the Du Couteau name, big sis. Something big is indeed on its way and you better tread carefully for you are a player in these games as well."

As she finished, Cassiopeia let out a yawn. "Partying too much makes my bones ache. I'll be retiring to my room, but you are welcome if there's more you want to talk about."

Talon nodded. "Whatever is coming our way, you have the full support of the Du Couteau household, Kat. I suggest you get some rest as well." Talon said as he made his way up the stairs. "Anything else, we'll deal with it tomorrow."

Cassiopeia and Talon both retreated to their rooms, leaving Katarina all alone on the wide cushioned sofa in the lounge. Save for the occasional crackle of the fireplace, the parlour was both quiet and dim enough for her to concentrate on her own breathing.

Thoughts sporadically ricocheted inside her head as she laid unmoving. Failure. Uncertainty. Destiny. Noxus. Ionia. _Ahri_.

The enigmatic fox-woman was the last image she saw in the blank space before she found herself drifting to sleep.

* * *

"Wake up... Kat, wake up."

An arm gently shook Katarina awake in the middle of the night and her eyes blurred as they adjusted to the now completely darkened lounge.

"Kat, wake up…" Talon's voice spoke gently.

"What is it?..." Katarina groaned at first, but immediately became alert at the sound of her brother's voice. While Talon seemed calm, there was a hint of panic in his voice.

"You need to leave Noxus. Immediately."

Katarina's eyes rose. "... Say that again?"

"A bounty has been placed on your head, Kat. For treason of the highest degree." Before Katarina could respond, Talon hushed her with a finger. "Cassiopeia just got word from her agent at High Command. It'll be in effect by sunrise."

He handed her a sack. "We prepared some supplies while you slept. This will last you a few days… just long enough for you to get to Ionia."

"Ionia?" Katarina asked, slightly perplexed "Why Ionia?"

"Cass' has a proxy who's been established in the Shon-Xan region since the end of the Ionian War. There's a ship is waiting at the dockyard leaving in 20 minutes. Make contact with the Kaires and wait this thing out until it all blows over."

"And what about you two?"

"The bounty is on your name alone, so we'll be safe... for now. Cass and I will try to find a way out of this mess and clear your name, but until then… Don't. Die."

An eerie series of soft knocks spaced apart by several seconds emanated from the main gate, drawing both their attention.

"I guess some people can't wait until sunrise…" Talon said as he goaded his sister towards the open window. Deep below them rested a large haystack. "Stay safe, sis."

"I will."

And with that, Katarina jumped.

...

...

...

With his sister free from harm, Talon finally let out a sigh. He checked his wrist to ensure that the blade was firmly attached to his arm and counted the throwing stars he had on him. Satisfied with his equipment, he quietly crept towards the manor's enormous front doors and opened them.

His mouth fell agape at the horrifying sight laid out before him.

Dozens of unmoving, life-like figures of _clowns_ posed in various of grotesque positions littered their courtyard.

...

...

...

" **Open! Sesame! Ack!... Ack!...Ack!...Ack!"**

* * *

A howl of sheer agony echoed throughout the night sky forcing Katarina stop in her tracks as she hopped from roof to roof down the Noxian mountain. _It came from the manor!_ She instantly prepared to sprint back before a feminine voice caught her off-guard.

"Good evening, Ms. Du Couteau," it chirped. "It's odd to see you out so late, Malady…"

Katarina turned her body to the source of the voice only to be greeted by a little girl standing before her… that was floating. Her eyes narrowed immediately.

"Leblanc."

"Oh my!" the child exclaimed. "Have I really been found out that easily? I must be getting sloppy with my work."

Her form grew in size and the dotted pajamas she wore morphed into the infamous cloak of the Deceiver.

"Why are you here?" Katarina growled. Outside of their militaristic duties alone, the Du Couteau family rarely associated themselves with Noxian High Command.

But even more uncommon was their affinity to the Black Rose.

"Just taking a stroll, I suppose," she chuckled. Her amusement only increased after a dagger phased through her body.

"Tell me!"

"I wonder who has the necessary connections and the influence to order a hit on the leader of one of Noxus' most decorated households?..." she said with a wide smirk.

"You're the puppet master behind everything, aren't you?" Katarina asked. "The one pulling the strings."

"A good magician never reveals their secrets…" she paused. "But I suppose that _is_ an accurate assessment."

Katarina was determined to get through Leblanc no matter what it took, but she was surprised when Leblanc began to walk in the opposite direction.

"I'll let you go on to Ionia, Katarina but remember this: you are nothing but a pawn in this game," she said as her form grew more transparent with every step she took. "The wheels of fate have started turning and I doubt you're strong enough to stop them."

Leblanc looked back.

"But who knows? Maybe you'll end up defying fate altogether."

By the time her sentence was finished, there was no trace of the Deceiver. The sudden flicker of sunlight on the horizon reminded Katarina of the approaching danger if she didn't move quickly. She quietly maneuvered her way down the Bastion.

The port city of Basilich was the site of an infamous uprising a few years back. Darius himself was sent to quell the insurgency and restore order to the city. While everyone held painful memories of the incident, no one was burdened by them more than Darius himself. But while many citizens continued to hold revolutionary ideals against Noxian rule, they still couldn't be trusted. In the distance, she saw the vessel Cassiopeia requested prepared.

Despite the sunlight practically illuminating her figure, she managed to sneak across the tiled roofs before making it on board the ship.

* * *

 **A/N: I'm actually considering moving this story up to M from T. I have the romance thing figured out, but an M rating gives me more room to play around with it.**

 **I wonder who this "Compatible Half" might be lmao.**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Writing, particularly this story, always takes a while. While my storytelling skills are on par with the illiterate, I try to make sure that every tiny detail is as accurate as possible. The locations; the limits of each character; their personalities, with a little of my own personal interpretation, is completely canon.**

 **For example, Shon-Xan, the Immortal Bastion, Basillich, the Lhradi Forests, they are all actual places in Valoran.**

 **Before I even start writing a chapter, I research all (literally all) of** **the lore with regards to the setting, pace and anything/anyone I might introduce. That takes a lot of time, h** **owever, everything pays off. The framework of the League of Legends universe remains completely the same, but I get to add my flair to things.**

 **On a more crass note, I might do a lemon for this story so stay tuned lmao.**

* * *

 **III.**

Katarina's heart raced. Panic set in as she stood face-to-face with the enigmatic fox woman once again.

Ahri simply smiled. "It's nice to see you again, Kitty." Having encountered one another many times through the years at the Rift, it was rare for the assassin to display this level of despair.

"Why?... " Katarina asked through gritted teeth. "Why did you kill them?"

Arriving at Ionia brought Katarina's world spiralling down after what seemed to be a largely uneventful journey. Blue flames roared quietly over the tranquil homestead and any sentiment of hope burned away like the wooden frame of the house.

In between Ahri and herself laid the murdered bodies of the Kaires. A mother, father, and 2 children— a brother and a sister— were positioned motionlessly in a heap.

"I have my reasons Katarina, but I'll stick to the old Ionian adage…" Ahri chuckled. " _There is no such thing as an innocent Noxian."_

Ahri's eyes widened as Katarina's fist suddenly collided with her face and she was sent skidding across the field. Her body barreled through the wooden picket fence before it came to a rolling standstill.

"They were just kids, Ahri…" Katarina breathed as the sun brought a shadow over her eyes. Her head finally lifted and her emerald green eyes burned with anger as they set upon the fox. "At least Noxians understand _honour_."

"Little Kitty wants to play again?" Ahri smirked as got to her feet. Her infamous blue orb wisped into her right hand and her own gold coloured eyes met Katarina's. "That didn't work out too well for you last time, did it?"

Katarina remained unwavered, however. This time, she was prepared.

She reached into her bag and retrieved a couple of odd-looking paper balls. Ahri's eyebrows rose and she tilted her head in curiosity. Smoke began to blanket the battlefield as Katarina crushed them in her hands and soon neither woman could see the immediate area around them...

Except Katarina was an extremely skilled assassin, even without the magical advantages of her opponent. Years of training and experience heightened her senses to the peak of human perfection. She knew _exactly_ where Ahri was and what tactics were most effective to use in this scenario.

The battlefield was her's now.

"This time it's the cat that hunts the fox…" Katarina called out as her signature daggers were drawn. "I will avenge them, Ahri."

Ahri's giggle chimed through the heavy smoke. "Fair enough. Indulge me…"

Just before Katarina could launch herself forward however, a cold, clammy hand suddenly took hold of her shoulder and chilled her all the way down to her soul.

* * *

"I'm bleeding! I'm bleeeeeeding!"

Talon's only response was to kick the shackled assailant once again who responded with an audible "oof."

"Enough of your games, clown. Tell me everything or I'll have you carved up and your remains left to the Drake-Hounds."

Shaco threw Talon a wicked smirk as his entire body disappeared, leaving a string of empty metal chains on the stone ground. Talon simply stood still unfazed. After a few seconds, the clown materialized behind Talon with his shivs high above his head.

"Time to die!" he laughed, only to fall to the ground suddenly and spasm in pain.

"My arm-blade is enchanted with the same properties as the Hexdrinker. Any wound I inflict pours its energy into its victim and disrupts all magic use." Talon said calmly. "And I left _plenty_ of punctures."

Shaco simply continued his maniacal laugh as Talon looked over to his sister. "He's not talking."

Cassiopeia smiled in response as she slithered closer to the prone form of the Demon Jester, who's eyes turned to the serpentine sorceress. "Don't worry, I'll make him talk…"

"That won't be necessary, Lady Du Couteau," came a deep voice. Cassiopeia's smile grew.

"Good morning, Grand General. I don't suppose you can get anything out of our very eccentric intruder?"

However, it was Shaco's turn to grin wildly as crimson-coloured chains of lightning shackled Cassiopeia and Talon where they stood.

"My apologies Cassiopeia, but I'd prefer that you all stay out of this," Swain announced calmly.

"What is the meaning of this?!" growled Talon. "The Du Couteau household will not stand for this injustice!"

"The Du Couteau household will no longer be standing at all," Swain responded as the maniacal jester returned to his feet. Talon and Cassiopeia just now noticed the countless jack-in-the-boxes littered around the manor grounds.

" _His clones must have set them up while we fought!"_

Talon recalled the strange battle with the clown through gritted teeth. After parrying Shaco's ambushing strike, Talon counterattacked with a diagonal slash which generated a howl of pain from his opponent. The Shaco clones all seemed to disappear as a result, but oddly Talon felt their presence linger through the rest of their fight.

 _"They didn't vanish at all! They just went invisible! His main body was the distraction all along and we fell for it!"_

"Now Shaco, if you'd please…" Swain turned his back as the Jester began his demonic incantation.

Time seemed to slow down around them all.

Swain's expression remained stoic.

Cassiopeia and Talon left their mouths wide open in utter shock.

Shaco's maniacal laughter echoed across the city in broad daylight as his spell was finished.

Any Noxian citizen or passerby at the moment curiously glancing their eyes towards the top of the Immortal Bastion witnessed the magnificent Du Couteau manor suddenly burst into flames.

* * *

"It's quite the entourage you've brought, Kitty cat," Ahri said a matter of factly as grey coloured bodies were sent flying from her concussive blast of magic. "I didn't know you had such powerful summoning magic in your repertoire."

"Something's wrong," Katarina said as she as another grey appendage took hold of her. "Ahri! Clear the smoke!"

Ahri, sensing the panic from her Noxian counterpart, took action. She spun in a circle, and with a mighty sweep from her 9 tails, completely cleared the battlefield of the fog. The scene before the two women left even herself perplexed.

Zombies.

There was no other way to describe the decaying bodies with white, empty eyes and dried, elongated arms reaching out towards them. Dozens of zombies had managed to make their way onto Ionia.

"So the Shadow Isles are in this game as well, hm?"

A creeping grey mist began approaching from the water and began swallowing up everything in its path as it inched closer to the pair.

"Quick. Into the forest," Ahri called out as she dropped a small blue sphere of magic. When she noticed Katarina had yet to move, she suddenly took her by the hand. "Hurry."

Katarina suppressed a slight blush as the duo sprinted deeper inland.

"Where are we going?"

"The Lhradi Forests," Ahri replied as her miniature orb detonated, emitting a sweeping flash of bright blue light in the explosion. "My den is there. We'll be safe."

The two women continued to dash through the trees in silence.

* * *

" _The souls of those who are pure, go to heaven.. the others belong to me…"_

The caretaker of the dead merely lowered his arm as the dust settled from explosion. His desolate eyes scanned across the empty battlefield, taking note of the devastated land. With a heavy sigh, he sunk his cursed shovel into the ground.

" _Rise, my legions!"_

The dismembered bodies scattered from Ahri's explosive blast were once again pieced together as an ominous wind drifted across the deserted homestead.

"The world shall tremble before the might of the Shadow Isles and the power of Yorick Mori!"

* * *

 **A/N: Good girls go to heaven, but bad girls know where be we.**

 **zzzxxxzxxzxzxzxz**


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